EBV PERSISTENCE IN MEMORY B-CELLS IN-VIVO

Epstein-Barr virus establishes latency in vitro by activating human B cells to become proliferating blasts, but in vivo it is benign. In the peripheral blood, the virus resides latently in resting B cells that we now show are restricted to the slgD(-) memory subset. However, in t onsils the virus shows no such restriction. We propose that EBV indisc riminately infects B cells in mucosal lymphoid tissue and that these c ells differentiate to become resting memory B cells that then enter th e circulation. Activation to the blastoid stage of latency is an essen tial intermediate step in this process. Thus, EBV may persist by explo iting the mechanisms that produce and maintain long-term B cell memory .